Dentsu Soken announced that AI can reduce the time required for export-control classification by up to 97%. A demonstration involving Japanese companies reportedly reduced requests that had previously taken 3 business days to approximately 30 minutes.
The use of AI to streamline export-control operations at Japanese companies is expanding against a backdrop of rising geopolitical risks and tighter regulations. In particular, revisions to the list-based controls under Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act and an expansion of the advance reporting system were implemented in 2026, accelerating the adoption of AI-based automation solutions.
Dentsu Soken explained that the GREENLIGHT AI agent, a function of the GREENLIGHT series, provides information gathering on the latest laws, regulations and official notices, support for classification judgments, and centralized management of the grounds for those judgments. Its stated feature is that when users ask questions in a chat format, it returns answers together with the relevant provisions supporting them.
In a demonstration project involving Japanese companies, users uploaded specification information for goods or technology scheduled for export, and the AI compared it with the relevant requirements and promptly presented a preliminary judgment and its supporting grounds. The time from submitting a classification request to receiving a preliminary judgment was reduced from the previous 3 business days to approximately 30 minutes, reportedly cutting working hours by up to 97%. A function for centrally managing the grounds for judgments, approval histories and reference materials is also provided, and is expected to streamline responses to regulatory revisions and audit procedures.
Going forward, the company plans to expand the application to security-related trade control operations beyond classification judgments. Wider use of AI agents is expected to support Japanese companies in balancing regulatory compliance with business speed.